Courses And Events Details

Passive House Design and Construction (120A) for Architects

In partnership with the Architectural Institute of British Columbia (AIBC)

Course description

If you are an architect or professional with training in building envelope design, take advantage of this three-day condensed Passive House Design and Construction course. This course is equivalent to 120A and covers the technical, economic and policy elements of Passive House buildings.

Participants will learn how to apply Passive House principles in the context of building physics, windows and mechanical systems. Numerous case studies, both domestic and international, will be used to demonstrate current best practices and teach concepts of cost assessment. Participants will also have the opportunity to solidify their learning with interactive exercises throughout the course.

This course can be taken on its own even if you don’t intend to write the Certified Passive House Designer/ Consultant Exam. If you intend to write the exam you can continue directly into 120B and 120C.

Day 1

Building science and energy use, overview of Passive House principles

In-depth look at insulation and airtightness design and construction techniques

Day 2

Heating and cooling a Passive House building, design principles, components, distribution and operation

Day 3

Economics of Passive House design and construction, cost and risk reduction, marketability

Quality assurance and testing

Building certification process

Recommended for

Building industry professionals (especially architects) with professional training in building envelope design who are going to be involved in the design and construction of Passive House buildings or EnerPHit (retrofit) projects.

Prerequisites / required background knowledge

A strong background in building envelope science for cool-temperate to cold climate construction is recommended. It is assumed that the participants can read blueprints and have a thorough understanding of design and construction terminology. This course does include some use of mathematical formulas.

Please note: 110: Introduction to Passive House High Performance Buildings is not required to take this course.

Learning resources provided

Course manual

Digital copy of course slides

Course Instructors

The instructors for this course will be Cillian Collins, Registered Architect in Ireland and Certified Passive House Designer at Perkins + Will in Vancouver, and Adam James, Architect AIBC and Certified Passive House Designer at Ryder Architecture in Vancouver.